Staying Home Sucks, home
South Beach near Leo Carillo beach
Leo Carillo. Photo: AmeteurAngeleno, CC0, Wikimedia Commons

Leo Carillo

Surf spot · United States

Is it worth the trip?

19Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Mon 2: 3 ft swell at 12 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 32 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
266kJ
Wind
W 4 kn
Temp
20°C

Tue 3 · 24 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
212kJ
Wind
NW 3 kn
Temp
19°C

Wed 4 · 16 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
106kJ
Wind
ESE 1 kn
Temp
19°C

Thu 5 · 11 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
68kJ
Wind
WNW 6 kn
Temp
21°C

Fri 6 · 13 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
69kJ
Wind
ENE 0 kn
Temp
23°C

Sat 7 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
62kJ
Wind
NE 6 kn
Temp
27°C

Sun 8 · 9 out of 100

Swell
1 ft12 shollow
Energy
49kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
26°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 122, too small
  2. Mon 232, too small
  3. Tue 324, too small
  4. Wed 416, too small
  5. Thu 511, too small
  6. Fri 613, too small
  7. Sat 712, too small
  8. Sun 89, too small
  9. Mon 910, too small
  10. Tue 109, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 3–10 ftof swell
  • Water 18 °C2 mm shorty

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Leo Carillo, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov22, too small3 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.)271kJwind from the west-north-west, 4 knots19°C
Mon 2Nov32, too small3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.)266kJwind from the west, 4 knots20°C
Tue 3Nov24, too small3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.)212kJwind from the north-west, 3 knots, offshore19°C
Wed 4Nov16, too small2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.)106kJwind from the east-south-east, 1 knot19°C
Thu 5Nov11, too small2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)68kJwind from the west-north-west, 6 knots21°C
Fri 6Nov13, too small2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)69kJwind from the east-north-east, 0 knots23°C
Sat 7Nov12, too small2 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)62kJwind from the north-east, 6 knots, offshore27°C
Sun 8Nov9, too small1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)49kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots, offshore26°C
Mon 9Nov10, too small1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)43kJwind from the east-south-east, 1 knot26°C
Tue 10Nov9, too small1 ft12 shollow3 ft at break (est.)47kJwind from the south, 3 knots25°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Sun 1 NovHigh 03:47 +0.3 mLow 07:47 +0.1 mHigh 13:48 +0.6 mLow 21:27 −0.9 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 04:37 +0.4 mLow 09:46 −0.1 mHigh 15:25 +0.6 mLow 22:27 −0.8 m
  • Tue 3 NovHigh 05:17 +0.6 mLow 11:05 −0.3 mHigh 16:48 +0.5 mLow 23:17 −0.8 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Leo Carillo

Leo Carillo Beach near Arroyo Sequit
Photo: AmeteurAngeleno, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
California Spiny Lobster, Leo Carrillo State Beach, Los Angeles County, CA, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 109051262
Photo: (c) Eric Johnson, some rights reserved (CC BY), CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Leo Carillo

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (185°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (5°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 250 m out (1 in 27). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 15°C in January, its coldest month (4/3 wetsuit and boots), and 21°C in August, its warmest (2 mm shorty). The town to stay in is Malibu. Within 5 km we also list 9 surf spots.

Water about 18°C: 2 mm shorty. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,190–US$2,150 each

about US$1,190–US$2,150 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn MDW to LAX, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$248–US$516
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$154–US$255
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$301–US$502
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$147–US$241
Totalabout US$1,190–US$2,150

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Closest

Malibu

39 min by car · 7 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 7 places to stay in Malibu · Booking.com

About Malibu its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Malibu, 22 km (about 40 min by car)

About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 7h 15m

About 7h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly MDW → LAX, direct, then 1h 10m by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.